Lili Reinhart opens up about his mental health issues.
In a new interview with Self magazineThe 28-year-old actress, who played Betty Cooper on “Riverdale” from 2017 to 2023, has been candid about the pressures Hollywood can bring and her struggles with body dysmorphia.
“I really don’t like looking at pictures or pictures from season six, because I know 99 percent of my thoughts were about my body,” said Reinhart, who landed her breakthrough role at age 19. “I was a thousand percent just detached throughout that whole day or scene because my whole internal dialogue is just…’Your body is changing.'”
Lili Reinhart said she was “separated” during the sixth season of “Riverdale” because of her body dysmorphia. (Kevin Mazur/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Giorgio Armani))
“It was really hard to keep up, but I did,” she added, keeping up with the hustle and bustle of showbiz. “I had no choice and I always just showed up and did my job.”
Reinhart has been an ardent advocate for mental health awareness for years, and recently spoke more about her own experience in the 2024 White House.
“It’s an ironic thing that people don’t see,” she told Self. “I’m literally in Washington, DC, at the White House giving a speech on mental health. And then that same night, I’m sobbing, in so much discomfort, and I feel so defeated.”
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Reinhart has been candid about her struggles with eating disorders and depression in the past. (Dimitrios Kambouris)
In 2019, Reinhart admitted that while her depression is a constant struggle, she has learned healthy coping mechanisms over the years.
“Depression has affected me in so many ways. It’s something that never goes away,” she said Glamor UK at that time. “I have periods when I feel completely unmotivated, I don’t want to do anything and I question myself. I don’t know how to deal with stress well. I find talking about it and sharing my experience with other people, and reminding myself that I’m not alone has been incredibly therapeutic.”
“Going to a therapist made it possible for me to be understood. My goal was to always leave therapy feeling a few inches taller. I feel like I made the problem easier for myself by learning how to solve it,” the “Hustlers” star added.
Reinhart played Betty Cooper on “Riverdale” from 2017 to 2023. (Michael Buckner/TVLine/Penske Media via Getty Images)
“There’s no clear cut answer—it doesn’t take just one session—but I’m starting to think, ‘I’ve grown up, I’ve done this, I’ve figured this out, now I can go out into the world and try to put what I’ve learned into practice.’ That’s how I look at therapy, I’m not crazy, nor am I problematic, I’m just a human being who feels something differently than some other people would.
In 2023, Reinhart shared her concerns about Hollywood’s obsession with body image and how it affected her.
“I wish more average-sized hands were represented in mainstream media for women,” the actress wrote on X, (official Twitter). “My body dysmorphia gone crazy because I feel like my arms should be half the size they are right now? We’ve glamorized these skinny arms that for most of us can only be achieved if you’re a literal adolescent.”
“I really wonder how anyone survives or gets through this life without severe BD. Maybe it’s a cruel heightened version combined with my OCD, but damn. The amount of time I’ve wasted thinking about my hands in the last few months is crazy “, she added.
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These days, Reinhart says she’s happy with where she is on her mental health journey.
“I feel strong and happy about the mental health advocacy that I’ve done, and I feel happy to bring physical health into that conversation, because I know that getting help for women in the next four years is going to be exponentially harder,” she told Self. “Listen to your body and don’t take no for an answer. Don’t let your doctor tell you everything is fine when you know it is.”
